The 25 Richest Designers in the World (2022)

Oscar de la Renta, a Dominican-born fashion designer, one of the richest designers on our list. He was one of the world’s best fashion designers throughout his life. His passion for fashion began while he was studying art at the Academy of San Fernando in Madrid. He began sketching for some of Spain’s most prominent fashion businesses and rose through the ranks of the industry, from apprentice to prestigious award-winning designer. In addition to creating clothing, de la Renta also introduced his own range of accessories, home goods, and fragrances. The estimated net worth of Oscar de la Renta is $200 million. On October 20, 2014, De la Renta, 82, passed away at his Connecticut home following complications brought on by cancer.

George Condo, a visual artist who has a $200 million net worth. George is a painter, printmaker, sculptor, and draughtsman from the United States. In the 1980s, Condo invented the phrase “Artificial Realism,” and his work has been shown all around the world. One of his paintings sold for $6.16 million in 2018.

Christian Audigier, a French fashion designer and entrepreneur, was best known for his Ed Hardy, Rock Fabulous, and Crystal Rock fashion brands. His career began as a salesman in Avignon, where he was born and raised. He soon advanced through the ranks and was employed by Mackeen Jeans as a denim designer. He was known as the “King of Jeans” and collaborated with companies such as Diesel, Elio Fiorruci, Bisou Bisou, and Levis. Ed Hardy, his fashion label, was the one that cemented his reputation as one of the world’s most influential fashion figures. Sadly, on July 9, 2015, at the age of 57, Christian Audigier passed away from a specific kind of bone cancer.

Tamara Mellon, a British-born businesswoman and entrepreneur, is the first woman on our list. Tamara Mellon, co-founder of the luxury brand Jimmy Choo, also where she earned her net worth. Tamara began her career as an accessories editor for British Vogue at Phyllis Walters Public Relations. By 2001, she had established her own firm, Jimmy Choo, with over 100 wholesale customers, including Harvey Nichols and Harrods. Jimmy Choo left the business after selling 50% of his shares to the investment company Equinox Luxury Holdings. Lion Capital bought the company in 2004. The brand was purchased by Labelux in 2011. After becoming public in 2014, the business was acquired by Michael Kors in 2017 for $1.3 billion, taking it private. In 2013 she created the TAMARA MELLON brand.

Jean-Paul Gaultier is a French fashion designer and creative director who was born on April 24, 1952, in Paris. He began his career by emailing sketches to stylists he liked, despite never having undergone any official fashion instruction. When Pierre Cardin hired him as an assistant, he got his big break. He went on to work for Jacques Esterel and Jean Patou after that. He eventually went back to Pierre Cardin before creating his own line in 1976. He’s had a lot of success in the fashion world, and he’s probably best known for his incredibly famous perfume line. He popularised the cone bra worn by Madonna and what is now known as the “man-skirt.”

Paul Smith is one of the world’s wealthiest designers, with a net worth of $390 million. He made his wealth as an English fashion designer who grew up in Beeston, Nottinghamshire, with his menswear label. Smith, a tailor by trade, spent his days on Saville Row honing his craft and honing his eye for design. He was offered the chance to design for well-known celebrities who came to Lincroft Kilgour tailors in Savile Rowe. He began his fashion business with a tiny sum of money and the assistance of his wife, and has since gone on to achieve enormous success and become a well-known designer. In the year 2000, Queen Elizabeth II knighted Paul.

Jonathan “Jony” Ive is an English industrial designer and product designer, as well as businessman. Ive was the and the chief design officer (CDO) of Apple Inc., reporting to CEO Tim Cook. He is the designer of many of Apple’s most recognizable products, including the MacBook Air, iMac, MacBook Pro, iPod, iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad, iPad Mini, Apple Watch, and HomePod. With a net worth of $400 million, Ive is one of the richest designers in the world.

Tom Ford is a fashion designer and film director from the United States. Ford, one of the richest designer in the world with estimated net worth of $500 Million. The majority of his fortune was amassed as a creative director for Gucci and YSL, as well as his own fashion label, Tom Ford. Ford, who was born in Austin, Texas, rose to prominence after rescuing the Gucci fashion brand from bankruptcy. In addition, having his own label improved his credibility and demand in the industry. His collaborations with Gucci and other high-end brands cemented his standing in the fashion and retail worlds.

Roberto Cavalli is the first Italian designer on our list. Roberto was born in 1940 in Florence, Italy. His career began in 1970, although he was relatively unknown until 1990, when his career took off. Stars such as Brigitte Bardot and Sophia Loren donned his apparel in the past, and the younger ‘it-crowd’ is now spotted wearing his current creations. Roberto Cavalli is known for his exotic prints and for pioneering the look of sand-blasted jeans. He also established his own luxury fashion house, which sells clothing, leather accessories, perfume, and jewelry, and develops interior design projects for high-end buildings. The company was acquired by Italian investment fund Clessidra SGR in 2015, with Gian Giacomo Ferraris as CEO. Leopard prints and superb tailoring are among his most recent creations.

Michael Kors is one of the world’s wealthiest designers, with a net worth of $600 million. Karl Anderson, Jr. is an American fashion designer who was born in the United States. His mother was a model, and she was the one who introduced him to the world of fashion. Karl began designing his own garments and dropped out of college to pursue a career in the fashion industry. He worked his way to the top after starting his company, Michael Kors, and was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential persons in the world in 2013.

Vera Wang is an American fashion designer and former figure skater who has a net worth of $650 million dollars. She began her career as a figure skater and has since risen to become one of the world’s wealthiest designers. After failing to make the US Olympic figure skating team, she decided to pursue a career in fashion. Vera Wang is well known for her wedding gown designs, which have been worn by a number of celebrities, including Chelsea Clinton, Uma Thurman, Jennifer Garner, Holly Hunter, and Alicia Keys. She has also created perfumes, eyeglasses, jewelry, and shoes.

Calvin Klein is an American fashion designer who has a net worth of $800 million. His grandmother instilled in him a love of sewing, and he practiced sketching and design work throughout his childhood. He began his professional career as an apprentice to a suit manufacturer after graduating from New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. He founded his company in 1968 and, thanks to some clever marketing strategies, he was able to associate his name with a number of popular products.

Pierre Cardin, a French fashion designer who was born in Italy, has an estimated net worth of $800 million. Pierre began his career as a tailor’s apprentice when he was 17 years old. He went to work for a Parisian fashion firm and started designing costumes for movies. He was widely considered as one of the world’s finest fashion designers by the 1970s. For his designs and works, he has won numerous accolades.

Peter Nygard is a Finnish-Canadian fashion executive who has a net worth of $900 million. He is the founder and chairman of Nygard International, a Canadian-based women’s apparel manufacturer. He was born in Helsinki, Finland. In 1952, he and his parents came to Canada from Finland, where he earned a business degree from the University of North Dakota. In 1967, he founded his clothes firm by pooling all of his resources and bought a stake in a women’s apparel manufacturer. He bought the rest of the company and renamed it Nygard International after experiencing some initial success.

Tory Burch is the first billionaire on our list. She is an American fashion designer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who has a net worth of $1 billion dollars. She was born on June 17, 1966, in Pennsylvania, and her designs have won numerous fashion honors. In addition to New York, Los Angeles, London, Rome, Tokyo, and Seoul, her company currently has over 120 locations worldwide. Tory Burch’s e-commerce stores, which are available in seven languages, also sell the Tory Burch brand.

Christian Candy is the second half of the London-based design company Candy & Candy. He is a British high-end property developer and interior designer with net worth of $1.1 Billion. He is well known for his role in the development of One Hyde Park, a luxury condo in London that is one of the world’s most expensive residential structures. The Candy brothers progressed from repairing flats in London to creating some of the world’s most opulent residences.

Valentino Garavani is an Italian fashion designer and the founder of the Valentino S.p.A. company. He began working for his aunt and a local designer as an apprentice. He moved to Paris to study and then returned to Rome to launch a fashion house. His first taste of success occurred at his debut show at the Pitti Palace, where he received several orders from international clients as well as excellent press coverage. Valentino amassed his $1.1billion of riches over the course of a 45-year career.

Stefano Gabbana, one half of Dolce & Gabbana, is number eight on our list of wealthiest designers. Stefano is an Italian fashion designer that was born in the city of Milan. He met his future business partner, Domenico Dolce, when he started working at an atelier in 1980. On 1982, the couple founded their first fashion firm, which specialized in women’s clothes. Since then, the company has grown to be incredibly profitable, has won numerous accolades, and is well-known around the world. Estimated net worth of Stefano Gabbana is around $1.7 Billion.

The second half of the Dolce & Gabbana duo, Domenico Dolce is one of the richest designer in the world with net worth of $1.7 Billion. Domenico was born in Sicily and is an Italian fashion designer. He began his professional career as a tailor’s apprentice with his father. He met Stefano Gabbana and founded Dolce & Gabbana immediately after coming to Milan. In 1984, they were selected to participate in Milan Fashion Week, which was their first big break. Since then, they’ve grown in popularity and have created costumes for a lot of superstars, including Maddona and Whitney Houston.

Prada S.p.A.’s CEO, Patrizio Bertelli, made his $5.2 Billion of money by opening a tiny factory in Arezzo that produced belts, bags, and leather items. He obtained a contract to create leather items for Prada and went on to become the label’s genius. He turned the company into a global fashion behemoth alongside his wife, culminating in a staggering $2.4 billion in sales!

Tim Sweeney, an American game developer and CEO, kicks off the top five countdown. While still in college, Tim started working on Epic, a shareware startup. Following graduation, he began designing and releasing a series of games, eventually breaking through with the smash hit “ZZT.” He founded “Epic Games” and went on to create the “Unreal” series of first-person shooter games. He created “Gears of War,” which he sold to Microsoft for an undisclosed sum, among many other games.

Ralph Lauren, an American fashion designer with an estimated net worth of $8.2 billion dollars, is ranked fourth on our list. Ralph dropped out of his business degree to start selling clothing, proving that college isn’t for everyone. He went on to design his own brand of men’s apparel and accessories later on. Ralph now owns 35 boutiques in the United States and is widely regarded as one of the most famous and successful fashion designers of all time!

On our list of the world’s wealthiest designers, Giorgio Armani is ranked third. He’s most renowned for his clean-cut power suits, which have appeared in films like Miami Vice, and has a net worth of nearly $10 billion USD. Suits followed suit in a slew of other business enterprises. Armani had almost 2,000 outlets throughout the world by the end of the 1990s, with annual sales of over $2 billion. The richest openly LGBT person in the world is Armani.

Miuccia Prada is the wife of Patrizio Bertelli, who is number six on our list, and an Italian fashion designer and businesswoman with a net worth of $3.8 billion. In 1978, Miuccia Prada took over the family’s luxury goods manufacturing firm, which had been run by the Prada brothers. Until she met her husband, Patrizio, she began creating waterproof backpacks. They then began acquiring additional businesses, transforming the company into a fashion powerhouse.

Satoshi Nakamoto, a Japanese-American computer software developer, is the world’s richest designer, with a net worth about double that of the second richest designer. Satoshi Nakamoto, the enigmatic founder of the popular cryptocurrency Bitcoin, is shrouded in mystery! He was forced to build a digital currency after losing two jobs and his home due to financial difficulties. No one knows for sure, but Nakamoto has amassed a $19 billion fortune in a very short period of time! However, he’s in a catch-22 scenario because he hasn’t been able to cash in on his Bitcoin because he’s afraid of disclosing his genuine name!